Thanksgiving Menus 2002–2011: The Topic

[Chris Amirault]

Collards... interesting idea. How do you make your bread dressing?

[jscarbor]

I asked about a suggestion for a bunch of leftover tamales I had from this awesome tamale place in Houston on the Houston board I think and I believe it was Fifi who suggested I stuff them in chicken and roast. Well, it looks like I am going to get some tamales and mix with butter and stuf under the skind of the bird. However, I do worry about that stuffing sitting under the skin for the amount of time it takes to cook a turkey. Anyone think it might be a problem. Anyway about 30 minutes before the turkey is done I will place a bunch of tamales in the pan so they can fry in turkey fat. Oh my!

[andiesenji]

I am going to have Thanksgiving with my neighbors. Mr. Obregon has gone to his ranch in Durango, Mexico to shoot "a few" javelina. Roast pig definitely on the menu. Homemade tamale, chicken, beef and pork, pumpkin empanadas, bean and corn fritters, barbecue turkey, barbecue goat.

I am going to make some squash casseroles, seed bread, cornbread, potato dumplings, fruit salad and whatever else is needed to fill in the gaps.

Mrs. Obregon's sister, a molera from Morelia, Mexico. She is bringing a bunch of spices and is going to teach me about molé.

I am really looking forward to it.

[Abra]

No problem, Chris! Just tell us, how many ovens, and how much fridge and freezer space you will have available.

And you're not working on actual Thanksgiving, are you? There's tons of prep that you could do then.

[Allura]

This year we're going to my Father-In-Law's house, and I have NO idea what's on the menu, really. He's not very helpful, except to say there'll be a turkey and "some kind of pork". His fiancee wants to make some Puero Rican-style "comfort foods", but I'm not sure what that is. So I'm trying to figure out what to bring...except I have to travel 4-5 hours (central NJ to northern VA). So far I've thought of apple crisp, the spiced sweet potato cake I made last year, or some sort of side dish. This family keeps things a bit too laid back; my mother started setting her menu a few weeks ago!

[Chris Amirault]

I am going to have Thanksgiving with my neighbors.  Mr. Obregon has gone to his ranch in Durango, Mexico to shoot "a few" javelina.  Roast pig definitely on the menu.  Homemade tamale, chicken, beef and pork, pumpkin empanadas, bean and corn fritters, barbecue turkey, barbecue goat. 

I am going to make some squash casseroles, seed bread, cornbread, potato dumplings, fruit salad and whatever else is needed to fill in the gaps. 

Mrs. Obregon's sister, a molera from Morelia, Mexico.  She is bringing a bunch of spices and is going to teach me about molé. 

I am really looking forward to it.

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So am I! I really, really hope you post about this! I have such unmitigated andiesenji envy....

No problem, Chris!  Just tell us, how many ovens, and how much fridge and freezer space you will have available.

And you're not working on actual Thanksgiving, are you?  There's tons of prep that you could do then.

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One oven, one fridge, one freezer, all of which can be commandeered as needed, more or less. But amounts aren't huge; we're talking six people, max. Unfortunately, I can't do prep on Thanksgiving bc it's after the 19th, not before, I'm afraid.

[Kim Shook]

We are celebrating Thanksgiving at our daughter's dorm apartment this year. She is a Residential Assistant, so she can't leave (she volunteered to avoid Xmas duty) and we are joining her along with 2 sets of grandparents and a couple of other RA's. The menu is what she wanted - myself and grandmothers doing most of the cooking - but it's mostly our traditional stuff for all that. We love experimentation with new and unusual things, but NOT on Xmas and Thanksgiving - there are 363 other days in the year for that!

Liptauer w/ Crackers

Turkey

Oyster Stuffing

Gravy

Sweet Potato Soufflé w/ Marshmallows and Bourbon Syrup

Cheese Potatoes

Broccoli Casserole

Butter Beans

Corn Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Fruit Salad

Bread

Apple Pie

Pecan Pie

[Ktepi]

It's just the two of us for Thanksgiving -- our families are on opposite coasts and the Missus's sister doesn't live nearby anymore, and the friends who might otherwise come will be here for New Years instead.

So it's going to be a scaled-down Thanksgiving. Turkey, of course -- I'm talking to my butcher this week about what heritage turkeys he can set me up with, and what it'll cost me -- and an as yet undetermined stuffing. I've never cooked any sort of heritage turkey -- I'm not sure if there's anything I should take into account in terms of what flavors would work best in the stuffing (which will absolutely be in the bird).

At the moment, I'm planning on brining the turkey in diluted apple cider with sage, but it depends on what I do for stuffing.

Sides --

Two cranberry sauces. We always get the canned so the Missus can use it for leftover turkey sandwiches, and I make a whole berry sauce to have with the meal. Last year's was on the tart side, with Coca-Cola and orange zest; this year I'm leaning towards a cranberry wine jelly like the latest Gourmet had.

Maybe mashed potatoes. I'm going to see if she minds me leaving these out, which surprises me, because since I was a teeny tiny kid, the mashed potatoes have been my favorite part of the meal other than the stuffing. But I'm tired of these sorts of meals being so carb-heavy. If this is a thirtysomething thing, I wouldn't've minded a warning.

Roasted Brussels sprouts, probably with bacon fat and some of the old balsamic vinegar I never use because no occasion seems "special" enough. Maybe a little Japanese chile.

Corn macque choux. I have a bunch of corn kernels I froze during the summer from the folks whose corn was sweet enough that people would wait in line for half an hour at the Farmer's Market. Usually I make dirty rice with the turkey liver, but again, I'm going for sides that aren't that heavy -- that'll be something for lunch the day before, most likely.

Pumpkin pie for dessert, maybe with a little goat yogurt in the filling. Toffee bacon to serve with it.

[emilyr]

Hey eGe'ers, my name is Emily and this is my first post. I've been devouring the site while waiting for my confirmation email and am completely undone this is awesome! But to get back on the thread...

We're a good midwestern/borderline southern family, so we'll have all the regulars: green bean casserole (but with cheese, no yucky onion ring

thingies and homemade cream of mushroom soup), corn bread casserole, mashed potatoes (with every kind of dairy product we can fit in - cream cheese, cream, parm, milk and butter - and garlic), oyster AND onion/sage stuffing/dressing (the debate escalates in my house every year), giblet gravy, my aunt's homemade noodles in gravy, my mom's awesome butter horn rolls and creamed peas with pearl onions.

Plus, my mom and I have managed to throw in a few new and interesting variations on some of the old standards. In favor of the traditional frozen niblets, we sautee white sweet corn in butter with basil, tarragon and sundried tomatoes. Instead of candied yams (ick) we make a sweet potato whip with apples and candied pecans or deep fried sweet potatoes (wth salt AND cinnamon/nutmeg sugar - yum!). And since it was a hit (with at least half the family) last year, I'll make a corn bread/chorizo stuffing made with a lime and cilantro infused broth.

Since my mom and two aunts will be recovering from surgery, I'll be doing my first totally solo Th'giving dinner. A big deal in my family as our celebrations tend to last for 4 or 5 days. Plus I'm trying to plan a surprise b'day party for Mom on the Saturday after. So to lessen the load on myself, I'm going to get 2 smoked turkeys from a local smokehouse. We've been doing fried turkeys for the last 7 years, but I just about had a breakdown when dad asked if we (we=me) were doing it again this year. And since I like smoked turkey better than ham hocks in them, I might do collard green.

I think that's all, but does anyone know if a smoked turkey needs anything else. I've never done one. Do they need a glaze? Should I serve one hot and one cold? Will giblet gravy be OK on them if my family insists?

*whew* My first post has turned into a rather long ramble. Thanks in advance for any help!

I love eGullet!

Emily

[Gifted Gourmet]

At this point in November, about the only thing of which I am absolutely certain is that we will not be dining upon that familiar green-bean-cream'o'mushroom-soup-Durkee-fried-onion-rings-casserole ...

Everything else is pretty much up for grabs in the menu planning stage ...

and a big welcome to Emily who is just brand new to eGullet! You'll love some of what you read here and then try new foods from all the inspiration we offer ...

[slkinsey]

Continuing the evolution of my Thanksgiving tasting dinner, I'm thinking of something like this:

Cocktail and amuse: TBD

1st course: Raw scallop in the shell with shaved cucumber

Wine TBD

2nd course: layered soup consisting of (from the bottom up) two oysters lightly poached in butter, spinach purée with crispy shallots, cauliflower purée, LTLT "poached in the shell" quail egg, garnish of curry-infused evoo.

Wine TBD

3rd course: arctic char tartare with chive gelee and herb salad.

Wine TBD

4th course: Brussels sprouts four ways (slaw, gratin, sautéed with guanciale, Brussels sprouts crème brûlée)

Wine TBD

5th course: sorbet TBD

Sparkling Moscato d'Asti

6th course: turkey two ways: A small base of wild mushrooms simmered in butter; then shredded dark meat that has been braised in port/turkey stock and combined with a chiffonade of Savoy cabbage and foie gras; then the whole works topped with a piece of turkey breast cooked sous vide with black truffles. The plate sauced with a reduction of the braising liquid and accented with a few "tadpoles" of sage cream.

Wine TBD (but I know I like Coturri Albarello for this course)

Dessert: bourbon bread pudding, sugarless apple pie, etc.

Coffee

Dessert II: chocolate truffles

Bourbon, grappa, cognac and other postprandial liquors/digestifs.

[EliseMF]

well, if it continues to be 70 degrees here in Ct, I might change to a BBQ---and set the table outside... but if fall arrives my (kosher) menu will be:

snacks before:

caponata

olives

spiced pecans

hummous and pita

mesclun salad with almonds, sunflower seeds, pignolis and coconut with jicama and dried raspberries in a cranberry-chili-walnut oil vinaigrette

Smoked, brined Turkey

mushroom stuffing

cranberry-orange relish with cassis

smashed roasted-garlic potatoes with olive oil, fresh herbs, and gray salt

spiced sweet potatoes with brown-sugar-praline crust

sauteed brussels sprouts

pumpkin walnut bread

cranberry bread

sage focaccia

dessert:

tofu-chocolate pots de "creme"

apple crumb pie

pecan pie

(maybe indian pudding)

[rjwong]

The LA Times Food Section Digest (16 November 2005) is titled "The Essential Thanksgiving: Part 1."

There are over 30 links to various articles, recipes, preparation tips, wine suggestions, and needed kitchen tools. Even fellow eGulleteer and LA Times food writer Russ Parsons answers readers' Thanksgiving questions and basically talks turkey.

With a few days away from Thanksgiving, I hope this provided link is helpful to you in your culinary preparations for this holiday.

[cathrynapple]

my birthday's on thanksgiving! it is also my 21st!

we're having roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, roast turkey (of course) with sage dressing (of course)

butternut coconut milk soup (somethign i made up) in small portions because it's so damn rich

blanched baby asparagus with a warm garlic vinegrette

mashed potatoes (which are actually a treat, because i never have them)

mushrooms of some sort

and i'm thinking maybe some kind of small stuffed sweet onion...anyone have a recipe?

for dessert(!):

whatever the final recipe for the best chocolate cake ends up being

with a meringue frosting (i just want a big white cloud with candles, please)

chocolate pecan bourbon pie

apple tart

[Ling]

for dessert(!):

whatever the final recipe for the best chocolate cake ends up being

with a meringue frosting (i just want a big white cloud with candles, please)

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I think we're done fiddling with the recipe in this thead: Chocolate cake

It's my favourite--deep chocolate flavour, moist and rich without being too heavy to eat with ganache and/or buttercream.

Edited November 17, 2005 by Ling (log)

[Ktepi]

I'm talking to my butcher this week about what heritage turkeys he can set me up with...

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Well, nevermind that. I couldn't get anything that wasn't three to five times more expensive than the farm-raised Amish turkeys I usually get, which is just too much to spend for the two of us on a meal that's mostly gonna be eaten as leftovers. So, back to a scaled-down version of last year:

Turkey brined in apple cider, sage, bay leaves, oranges, lemons;

stuffed with apple-sage-rabbit stuffing (built on Pepperidge Farm)

And the rest, as I said. Brussels sprouts, corn macque choux, pumpkin pie.

I'm thinking of making another stuffing/dressing now, though, with cornbread and chorizo, maybe thyme and orange (zest? juice? segments?). We always, always run out of stuffing before turkey when eating the leftovers.

[andiesenji]

One might consider that this is Thanksgiving as seen by the turkey.

Life as a turkey.

[Jennifer Iannolo]

We make quite a bit of food, as there are 15+ in the immediate family, most of which are big...um...boys.

Here's what's cookin':

Hors d'Oeuvres:

Clove Spiced Champagne

Mini Popovers with Brie and Honeyed Pears

Shrimp

Baked Clams

Main Meal:

2 Stuffed Turkeys with Harvest Spiced Butter

Spice Glazed Carrots

Sweet Potato and Gorgonzola Gratin

Mashed Potatoes with Gravy

Broccoli Casserole (the ultimate white-trash, fabulously tasty dish)

Cranberry Sauce (trying desperately to convince them to let me MAKE it, but to no avail)

Dinner Rolls (rye and white)

Desserts:

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pie

Ginger & Honey Creme Brulee

Cardamom Rice Pudding

Christmas Cookies (served with Christmas carols)

Disclaimer: There are not that many sweet-toothed people, but I simply have to have a little variety.

Edited November 19, 2005 by Jennifer Iannolo (log)

[KatieLoeb]

One might consider that this is Thanksgiving as seen by the turkey.

Life as a turkey.

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There's also THIS perspective on being a turkey too.

(be patient)

[I_call_the_duck]

Two Thanksgivings this year. Wohoo! On Thursday, we’re off to my cousins in-law. Don’t know what will be on the menu, but judging from previous dinners we’ve had there, it’ll be less traditional. Since my BIL has to work on Thursday, he, my sister, and their kids are coming in on Friday, my side of the family are getting together on Saturday. On the menu so far:

turkey (Mom usually gets a fresh-killed kosher turkey)

sticky rice

mashed potatoes and gravy

pureed cauliflower

zucchini gratin

string beans

sweet potatoes/yams

pearl onions with maple syrup

cranberry chutney

apple pie

other various desserts

One might consider that this is Thanksgiving as seen by the turkey.

Life as a turkey.

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There's also THIS perspective on being a turkey too.

(be patient)

←

Too funny. Reminds me of a Warner Brothers Cartoon. Daffy Duck is living on a farm. He overhears the farmer assure his wife that the turkey will be big enough by Thanksgiving. Daffy, seeing this as an opportunity to gain more food, proceeds to inform the turkey of his impending fate. The turkey freaks out, and Daffy graciously offers to "help" him, by eating the extra food meant for the turkey and making sure the turkey exercises the extra weight off. Come Thanksgiving, the turkey is still scrawny, while Daffy is very well-fed. Axe in hand, the farmer looks at the turkey, then at Daffy, and well...you can guess what happens.

Edited November 21, 2005 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[torakris]

I am so jealous!

Obviously Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in Japan and I only went through the hassle my first 2 years here. This year a group of foreign friends decided to get together and have a big (13 adults 8 children) party.

My friend is hosting and I told her I would bring an apple pie, a sweet potato gratin and a wild rice salad, this morning I received the following e-mail from her:

(names have been xxxx'd out, though trust me none of them read here....)

Other dishes: xxxx and I bought 2 turkeys today at Costco (they only had

smallish ones), cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy. xxxx is

bringing appetizer type things--dip and chips, and veggies; and a refried

bean type spread in a flour tortilla. xxxx is bringing a green salad and

another (salad?) dish. And I will make another pumpkin pie. (We bought a

caramel apple pie at Costco today.) Oh, yeah. We have to make our stuffing

from scratch, since Costco didn't have mix. So we got some instructions

and will try.

Maybe I should volunteer for the stuffing as well....

I like how she calls it instructions instead of a recipe, these are really wonderful people unfortunately they don't cook.

[BarbaraY]

Ah! Kris, go ahead and volunteer. You will know what you're getting that way.

[suzilightning]

well, there are turkey breasts being brined that i wll cook off tomorrow night. i just pulled a chocolate chimay cake and a streusel coffee cake out of the oven. there is a set of portugese sweet bread about to go to the second rise. tomorrow i am doing a green bean casserole from scratch - fresh green beans(along with some blanched green and wax beans from the freezer), crimini, shitake and oyster mushrooms in a bechemal sauce, small white onions though i do use the french fried onion rings on top.

later i will make an apple pie and send all that up to poughkeepsie with johnnybird. my mother-in-law will do sausage stuffing and yams and buy the mini gherkins and cranberry sauce.

i'm thinking homemade mac and cheese and garlic green beans. maybe some onion soup.... well, guess that means some confit in my future so better get going. happy holiday to all

[K8memphis]

...and I told her I would bring an apple pie, a sweet potato gratin and a wild rice salad, this morning...

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Hi Kris, I realize you are going to be very busy but when it's convenient for you could you elaborate with a recipe or how you make that sweet potato gratin???? It just sounds so much more together and interesting than the usual sweet potato mush business we make y'know?

Thanks

[Varmint]

We're having a small crowd for Thanksgiving this year, as many of my in-laws are away. Plus, I keep things simple to ensure the kids will eat.

Green Tabasco Roasted Turkey

Wild Mushroom stuffing

Manuka honey-glazed carrots

Pink lady applesauce (smooth and chunky to appeal to both camps)

Roasted green beans

Buttermilk mashed potatoes

Gravy

Braised collards

Smoked paprika devilled eggs

Pickled okra

Orange cranberry relish

Buttermilk biscuits

Sour cream apple streusel pie

Boubon Pecan pie

Whipped cream

Homemade vanilla bean ice cream